Systems and methods for wireless control of an engine-driven welding power supply

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for wireless control of welding power supplies are disclosed. An example welding power supply includes: a housing comprising a control panel configured to receive inputs from an operator; power conversion circuitry configured to convert input power into output power for a welding operation; and local control circuitry configured to wirelessly receive a control signal from remote control circuitry of a portable electronic device, and to control the welding power supply based on the received control signal; wherein the local control circuitry is configured to set prioritization of control of the welding power supply between the portable electronic device and the control panel of the welding power supply, prevent the control panel from controlling a parameter of the welding power supply when the portable electronic device is prioritized, and prevent the portable electronic device from controlling the parameter when the control panel is prioritized.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates generally to welding systems and, moreparticularly, to the use of wireless remote control devices to controlwelding power supply units.

Welding power supply units are welding systems configured to convertinput power to welding output power suitable for use in a weldingoperation. In certain embodiments, the welding power supply units evengenerate the power that is converted into the welding output power.Conventionally, welding power supply units are controlled via a controlpanel disposed on an exterior surface of an enclosure of the weldingpower supply unit. However, often, welding operators perform weldingoperations at locations that are at relatively large distances away fromthe welding power supply units. In such situations, the weldingoperators often have to walk all the way back to the welding powersupply units to modify settings of the welding operations. As such,there is a need for the ability to control welding power supply unitsfrom relatively remote locations via wireless remote control devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described herein include wireless control of a welding powersupply via portable electronic devices, such as dedicated originalequipment manufacturer (OEM) welding remote devices, cellular phones,laptops computers, tablet computers, and so forth. In particular,operating parameters and statuses of the welding power supply may bemodified by the portable electronic device, as well as be displayed onthe portable electronic device. For example, in certain embodiments, thewelding power supply may be an engine-driven welding power supply, andthe portable electronic device may be configured to start and/or stop anengine of the engine-driven welding power supply. A pairing proceduremay be used to pair the welding power supply and the portable electronicdevice in a wireless communication network. Furthermore, in certainembodiments, a method of prioritization of control between a controlpanel of the welding power supply and the portable electronic device maybe implemented to ensure that only one of the control panel of thewelding power supply and the portable electronic device may be used tocontrol the welding power supply at any given time.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a welding-type system configured to communicatewirelessly with a wireless remote control device, in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a wireless remote control device configuredto communicate wirelessly with the welding-type system of FIG. 1 , inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an engine-driven welding power supply configured tocommunicate wirelessly with the wireless remote control device of FIG. 2, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary functional componentsof an embodiment of the engine-driven welding power supply of FIG. 3 ,in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates the wireless remote control device configured towirelessly control an engine of the engine-driven welding power supplyof FIG. 4 , in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates the wireless remote control device configured towirelessly control a compressor and a pump of the engine-driven weldingpower supply of FIG. 4 , in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates the wireless remote control device configured todisplay operating parameters and statuses of the engine-driven weldingpower supply of FIG. 4 , in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates the wireless remote control device configured todisplay diagnostic messages and diagnostic codes of the engine-drivenwelding power supply of FIG. 4 , in accordance with embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates the wireless remote control device configured towirelessly control welding parameters of the engine-driven welding powersupply of FIG. 4 , in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate the wireless remote control deviceconfigured to initiate pairing of the wireless remote control devicewith the engine-driven welding power supply of FIG. 4 , in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 11 illustrates the wireless remote control device configured toimplement a find function for the wireless remote control device, inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a welding-type system 10 capable of performingvarious types of operations. The welding-type system 10 is merelyrepresentative of a wide variety of welding-type machines having varioussizes, features, and ratings. The welding-type system 10, ascontemplated herein, can be configured to not only perform standardwelding operations such as tungsten inert gas (TIG), metal inert gas(MIG), and/or stick welding, but can also be capable of performingvarious cutting operations that are closely associated with the variouswelding procedures, such as plasma cutting, for example. Thewelding-type system 10 includes a power supply 12 to condition raw powerand generate a power signal suitable for welding applications. The powersupply 12 includes a control panel 14 through which an operator mayadjust operating parameters of the welding-type system 10. Connected tothe power supply 12 is a torch 16 via a cable 18 that provides the torch16 with power and compressed air or gas, where needed.

Also connected to the power supply 12 is a work clamp 20, which isdesigned to connect to a workpiece (not shown) to be welded and providea return path. Connecting the work clamp 20 to the power supply 12 is acable 22 designed to provide the return path for the welding currentfrom the torch 16 through the workpiece and the work clamp 20. Extendingfrom a rear portion of the power supply 12 is a power cable 24 having aplug 26 for connecting the power supply 12 to either a portable powersupply (not shown) or a transmission line power receptacle (not shown).Also connected to the power source is a gas source 28 configured tosupply a gas flow to the welding torch 16.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the power supply 12 may be configured tocommunicate wirelessly with a wireless remote control device 30, whichmay be a portable electronic device specifically configured to functionas a remote control device for the power supply 12 or may be any type ofportable electronic device, such as smart phones, tablet computers,laptop computers, and so forth, that may have software or firmware (aswell as security keys) installed thereon to control the power supply 12.In certain embodiments, the wireless remote control device 30 may beused at a welding application location relatively remote from the powersupply 12, yet still provide substantially the same display and inputdevices that the control panel 14 of the power supply 12 provides. Inother words, the wireless remote control device 30 may be used as aremote control panel when it is not feasible or practical to use thecontrol panel 14 on the power supply 12. However, it should be notedthat the embodiments presented herein enable for additionalfunctionality of the welding power supply 12 to be controlled and/ormonitored by the wireless remote control device 30, as described ingreater detail herein.

A variety of wireless remote control devices 30 may employ thetechniques described herein. FIG. 2 , for example, is a block diagramdepicting various components that may be present in a suitable wirelessremote control device 30 that may be used in the implementation of thepresent techniques. The wireless remote control device 30 may include ahandheld electronic device, a tablet computing device, a notebookcomputer, and so forth. In other embodiments, the wireless remotecontrol device 30 may include a welding-related device, such as aportable welding wire feeder, a welding helmet, a welding controlpendant, a foot pedal, and so forth.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the wireless remote control device 30 mayinclude, among other things, a display 32, input structures 34,input/output (I/O) ports 36, one or more processor(s) 38, memory 40,nonvolatile storage 42, a network interface 44, and a power source 46.The various functional blocks shown in FIG. 2 may include hardwareelements (including certain types of circuitry), software elements(including computer code stored on a non-transitory computer-readablemedium), or a combination of both hardware and software elements. Itshould be noted that FIG. 2 is merely one example of a particularimplementation and is intended to illustrate the types of componentsthat may be present in the wireless remote control device 30. Indeed,the various depicted components (e.g., the processor(s) 38) may beseparate components, components of a single contained module (e.g., asystem-on-a-chip device), or may be incorporated wholly or partiallywithin any of the other elements within the wireless remote controldevice 30. The components depicted in FIG. 2 may be embodied wholly orin part as machine-readable instructions (e.g., software or firmware),hardware, or any combination thereof.

In the wireless remote control device 30 of FIG. 2 , the display 32 maybe any suitable electronic display used to display image data (e.g., aliquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic light emitting diode (OLED)display). In some examples, the display 32 may represent one of theinput structures 34, enabling users to interact with a user interface ofthe wireless remote control device 30. In some embodiments, theelectronic display 32 may be a touch display that can detect multipletouches at once. Other input structures 34 of the wireless remotecontrol device 30 may include buttons, keyboards, mice, trackpads,rotating knobs, and the like. The I/O ports 36 may enable the wirelessremote control device 30 to interface with various other electronicdevices.

The processor(s) 38 and/or other data processing circuitry may executeinstructions and/or operate on data stored in the memory 40 and/or thenonvolatile storage 42. The memory 40 and the nonvolatile storage 42 maybe any suitable articles of manufacture that include tangible,non-transitory computer-readable media to store the instructions ordata, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, rewritable flashmemory, hard drives, and optical discs. By way of example, a computerprogram product containing the instructions may include an operatingsystem or an application program. In certain embodiments, theinstructions stored in the memory 40 and/or the nonvolatile storage 42of the wireless remote control device 30 may include software includinginstructions for enabling the wireless communication with the weldingpower supply 12, including pairing with the welding power supply 12,enabling prioritization of control between the welding power supply 12and the wireless remote control device 30, enabling control of thewelding power supply 12 via the wireless remote control device 30, andso forth. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, security keys that areused to check whether the wireless remote control device 30 isauthorized to communicate with the welding power supply 12, and viceversa, may be stored in the memory 40 and/or the nonvolatile storage 42of the wireless remote control device 30.

The network interface 44 may include, for example, one or moreinterfaces for a personal area network (PAN), such as a Bluetoothnetwork, for a local area network (LAN), such as an 802.11x Wi-Finetwork or a ZigBee network, and/or for a wide area network (WAN), suchas a 4G or LTE cellular network. The power source 46 of the wirelessremote control device 30 may be any suitable source of energy, such as arechargeable lithium polymer (Li-poly) battery and/or an alternatingcurrent (AC) power converter.

As mentioned above, the wireless remote control device 30 may take theform of a computer or other type of electronic device. Such computersmay generally be portable (such as laptop, notebook, and tabletcomputers). In other embodiments, the wireless remote control device 30may be, for example, a portable phone (e.g., a smart phone), a mediaplayer, a personal data organizer, or any combination of such devices.In particular, in certain embodiments, the wireless remote controldevice 30 may be a cellular phone utilizing cellular, Bluetooth, orWi-Fi to communicate with the power supply 12. In general, the wirelessremote control device 30 is a portable electronic device, in otherwords, handheld or otherwise easily portable by a single human operator.

The wireless communication networking techniques described herein enableseamless and secure exchange of welding parameters, as well as jobinformation and other user data, between the wireless remote controldevice 30 and the power supply 12. Such wireless communicationnetworking techniques enable welding personnel or other industrialequipment personnel, with little or no experience in areas ofcommunication theory, radio frequency technology, or informationtechnology, to easily assemble and operate wireless communicationnetworks that include a plurality of various equipment and accessories.The wireless communication networking techniques described herein makeit easy and intuitive for the aforementioned personnel to manuallyassemble a wireless network at the job site, and begin using suchwireless networks to perform safe and secure control of the weldingequipment and accessories, as well as exchange information with otherparties in the welding shop or at areas remote from the welding shop.

As discussed above, the power supply 12 illustrated in FIG. 1 is merelyexemplary and not intended to be limiting. For example, in certainembodiments, the power supply 12 may be an engine-driven welding powersupply, such as illustrated in FIG. 3 . FIG. 4 is a block diagramillustrating exemplary functional components of an embodiment of theengine-driven welding power supply 12. In the illustrated embodiment,instead of utilizing power from an external power source, theengine-driven power supply 12 includes an engine 48, a generator 50, andpower conversion circuitry 52 for generating welding power via a weldingoutput 54 for delivery to the welding torch 16 and, in certainembodiments, for generating auxiliary power via an auxiliary output 55for delivery to auxiliary equipment 56, such as a second welding powersupply, lighting systems, grinding machines, and so forth. The generator50 is coupled to the engine 48 via a shaft 57 that is configured torotate, as indicated by arrow 58.

The power supply 12 includes a controller 60 configured to controloperation of the power supply 12. In particular, in certain embodiments,the controller 60 of the power supply 12 includes one or moreprocessor(s) 62 configured to execute program instructions stored in atangible non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the memory 64.For example, in certain embodiments, the memory 64 may store softwareincluding instructions for controlling the components of the powersupply 12, instructions for interacting with wireless communicationcircuitry 66 to wirelessly communicate with the wireless remote controldevice 30, security keys that are used to check whether the wirelesscommunication circuitry 66 is authorized to communicate with thewireless remote control device 30, and vice versa, and so forth. Theprocessor(s) 62 may include a general purpose processor, system-on-chip(SoC) device, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or otherprocessor configuration. Similarly, the memory 64 may include, forexample, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flashmemory (e.g., NAND), and so forth.

During operation, a rotor of the generator 50 is driven into rotationwithin a stator of the generator 50 by the engine 48, thereby generatingAC power. That is, the shaft 57 rotates, as shown by arrow 58, totransmit power from the engine 48 to the generator 50. The shaft 57 alsoconnects the engine 48 and the generator 50 for proper alignment whileresisting bending and axial loads. The engine 48 and the generator 50cooperate to generate power that may be converted into the welding powervia the welding output 54 and, in certain embodiments, the auxiliarypower via the auxiliary output 55 by the power conversion circuitry 52.

The operation of the power supply 12 is regulated and controlled by thecontroller 60. For example, the controller 60 regulates and controls theoperation of the engine 48 via a bi-directional exchange of informationbetween the engine 48 and the controller 60. The controller 60 mayreceive one or more inputs from the operator via the control panel 14and may regulate engine performance according to the operator inputs.For instance, a user may specify the type of welding process (e.g., ACstick welding, AC TIG welding, DC stick welding, DC MIG welding, etc.),voltage and/or current settings for the welding process, and so forth,and the controller 60 may determine an appropriate engine speed, amongmany other operating parameters, based on such inputs. The controller 60may similarly control operation of the generator 50, the powerconversion circuitry 52, and other components of the power supply 12.

As also illustrated in FIG. 4 , the power supply 12 includes wirelesscommunication circuitry 66 configured to facilitate wirelesscommunication with the wireless remote control device 30. In certainembodiments, the wireless communication circuitry 66 may include RFcommunication circuitry, such as RF transmitters and sensors. In otherembodiments, a radio subsystem and an associated signaling protocol maybe implemented to wirelessly send and receive commands and data betweenthe power supply 12 and the wireless remote control device 30. However,in other embodiments, any suitable means for communicating wirelesslybetween the power supply 12 and the wireless remote control device 30may be utilized. In addition, in certain embodiments, the wirelesscommunication circuitry 66 may include one or more processor(s) (i.e.,similar to the one or more processor(s) 62 of the controller 60 of thepower supply 12) configured to execute program instructions stored in atangible non-transitory computer-readable medium (i.e., similar to thememory 64 of the controller 60 of the power supply 12) for enabling thewireless communication with the wireless remote control device 30,including pairing with the wireless remote control device 30, enablingprioritization of control between the welding power supply 12 and thewireless remote control device 30, enabling control of the welding powersupply 12 via the wireless remote control device 30, and so forth.Furthermore, in certain embodiments, security keys that are used tocheck whether the wireless communication circuitry 66 is authorized tocommunicate with the wireless remote control device 30, and vice versa,may be stored in the computer-readable medium of the wirelesscommunication circuitry 66. It will be appreciated that while thecontroller 60 and the wireless communication circuitry 66 are describedherein as being separate components, in certain embodiments, thecontroller 60 and the wireless communication circuitry 66 maycollectively function as integrated control circuitry of the weldingpower supply 12.

In certain embodiments, all of the components, including the wirelesscommunication circuitry 66, of the welding power supply 12 illustratedin FIG. 4 may be disposed in a common housing (i.e., enclosure) 67. Insuch embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry 66 functions asthe coordinator for the wireless communication network 122 between thewelding power supply 12 and the wireless remote control device 30 localto (e.g., resident within) the welding power supply 12, as opposed tohaving coordination functionality being located remote from (e.g.,external to) the welding power supply 12. However, in other embodiments,the wireless communication circuitry 66 may be disposed external to thehousing 67 of the welding power supply 12. For example, in certainembodiments, the wireless communication circuitry 66 may be disposed ina separate housing that is configured to directly connect to the weldingpower supply 12. In particular, the separate housing that encompassesthe wireless communication circuitry 66 may include one or more externalconnectors disposed on the housing that are configured to mate with oneor more ports on the welding power supply 12 (e.g., via the controlpanel 14, for example), thereby enabling the wireless communicationcircuitry 66 to communicate with the controller 60 of the welding powersupply 12, the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12, and soforth. As such, in certain embodiments, the wireless remote controlfunctionality enabled by the wireless communication circuitry 66 asdescribed herein may be retrofitted into pre-existing welding powersupplies 12. It will be appreciated that once such a retrofitcommunication module is connected to a pre-existing welding power supply12, the wireless communication circuitry 66 of the retrofitcommunication module may cooperate with the controller 60, control panel14, and all other components, of the welding power supply 12 asdescribed herein to enable the wireless control functionality for awireless remote control device 30.

As previously discussed, although illustrated in FIG. 4 as including anengine-driven welding power supply 12, the wireless remote controlprotocols and methods described herein may be used with any type ofwelding power supplies, line-powered, engine-driven, or otherwise. Forexample, in certain embodiments, as opposed to being an engine-drivenwelding power supply 12 having an engine 48 that drives a generator 50to produce power that is converted into welding power via a weldingoutput 54 and, in certain embodiments, auxiliary power via an auxiliaryoutput 55 by the power conversion circuitry 52, the welding power supply12 may instead receive power from an external source, such as anelectrical grid, and the power conversion circuitry 52 may convert thispower to the welding power via the welding output 54, the auxiliarypower via the auxiliary output 55, and so forth.

In general, all of the components illustrated in FIG. 4 as beingincluded in the welding power supply 12 may be disposed in a commonhousing or enclosure 67 of the welding power supply 12. For example, incertain embodiments, the welding power supply 12 may include acompressor 68 that is powered by the engine 48 and/or the generator 50,and is utilized to produce compressed air 70 for use in the weldingapplication, without the need for an intermediate storage tank. Forexample, although not illustrated in FIG. 4 , in certain embodiments,the compressor 68 may be coupled to the engine 48 (e.g., directly via ashaft or indirectly via a system of belts) and driven by the engine 48.In other embodiments, the compressor 68 may be directly or indirectlycoupled to, and driven by, the generator 50. In addition, in certainembodiments, the welding power supply 12 may include a hydraulic pump 72that is powered by the engine 48 and/or the generator 50, and isutilized to pump fluids 74 for use in the welding application. Forexample, although not illustrated in FIG. 4 , in certain embodiments,the hydraulic pump 72 may be coupled to the engine 48 (e.g., directlyvia a shaft or indirectly via a system of belts) and driven by theengine 48. In other embodiments, the hydraulic pump 72 may be directlyor indirectly coupled to, and driven by, the generator 50.

Once the wireless remote control device 30 and the welding power supply12 are paired with each other, as described in greater detail herein,any number of operational parameters and statuses of the welding powersupply 12 may be controlled by the wireless remote control device 30.For example, in certain embodiments, the engine 48 of the welding powersupply 12 may be started using the wireless remote control device 30. Insuch an embodiment, a user of the wireless remote control device 30 may,for example, press a start button on the wireless remote control device30 or a virtual start button 76 on the display 32 of the wireless remotecontrol device 30, as illustrated in FIG. 5 , thereby causing a controlsignal to be sent wirelessly from the wireless remote control device 30to the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12 via the wirelesscommunication circuitry 66 of the welding power supply 12. In responseto this control signal, based at least in part on the received controlsignal (as well as other operating parameters, in certain embodiments),the controller 60 may cause the engine 48 of the welding power supply 12to start, thereby generating power for the welding operation of thewelding power supply 12.

Conversely, in certain embodiments, the engine 48 of the welding powersupply 12 may also be stopped using the wireless remote control device30. In such an embodiment, a user of the wireless remote control device30 may, for example, press a stop button on the wireless remote controldevice 30 or a virtual stop button 78 on the display 32 of the wirelessremote control device 30, as illustrated in FIG. 5 , thereby causing acontrol signal to be sent wirelessly from the wireless remote controldevice 30 to the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12 via thewireless communication circuitry 66 of the welding power supply 12. Inresponse to this control signal, the controller 60 may cause the engine48 of the welding power supply 12 to stop, thereby ceasing generation ofpower for the welding operation of the welding power supply 12. Inaddition, the current operating status (i.e., ON or OFF) of the engine48 may be communicated to the wireless remote control device 30wirelessly from the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12 via thewireless communication circuitry 66, and indicated on an indicator onthe wireless remote control device 30 or a virtual indicator 80 on thedisplay 32 of the wireless remote control device 30, as illustrated inFIG. 5 .

The following descriptions detail certain specifics relating to remotestarting and stopping of the engine 48 of the welding power supply 12.The wireless remote control device 30 may start the engine 48 with thefollowing exemplary sequence. First, the wireless remote control device30 may be paired with the welding power supply 12, as described ingreater detail herein. The welding power supply 12 may be in an OFFposition with the engine 48 stopped. The operator may then place theengine 48 in a RUN position. The operator may then press the startbutton 76 on the wireless remote control device 30, thereby placing thewelding power supply 12 in wireless mode while the wireless remotecontrol device 30 sends an engine start request message wirelessly tothe controller 60 of the welding power supply 12. In response to thisengine start request message, the controller 60 of the welding powersupply 12 executes an engine start sequence as governed by local closedloop control. In addition, the controller 60 may send engine RPM data tothe wireless remote control device 30 at time intervals to serve as anengine start status indication to the operator via the wireless remotecontrol device 30, where the engine RPM is displayed on the display 32of the wireless remote control device 30 (e.g., when the engine 48 ofthe welding power supply 12 reaches its operating RPM, a valid startsequence is indicated). Similarly, to perform an engine stop sequencefor the welding power supply 12, the stop button 78 on the wirelessremote control device 30 may be pressed, and a message sent to thewelding power supply 12, which then performs an engine stop sequence.The engine RPM may again be transmitted to the wireless remote controldevice 30 to indicate engine status to the operator via the wirelessremote control device 30.

In addition to enabling remote starting and/or stopping of the engine 48of the welding power supply 12, in certain embodiments, the operatingspeed of the engine 48 may be displayed on the wireless remote controldevice 30 and controlled via control elements on the wireless remotecontrol device 30. For example, the operating speed of the engine 48 maybe communicated to the wireless remote control device 30 wirelessly fromthe controller 60 of the welding power supply 12 via the wirelesscommunication circuitry 66, and indicated on an indicator of thewireless remote control device 30 or a virtual indicator 82 on thedisplay 32 of the wireless remote control device 30, as illustrated inFIG. 5 . Furthermore, in certain embodiments, a user of the wirelessremote control device 30 may, for example, manipulate increase/decreaseslider elements on the wireless remote control device 30 or virtualincrease/decrease slider elements 84, 86 on the display 32 of thewireless remote control device 30, as illustrated in FIG. 5 , therebycausing a control signal to be sent wirelessly from the wireless remotecontrol device 30 to the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12via the wireless communication circuitry 66 of the welding power supply12, the control signal being used by the controller 60 to increase ordecrease the operating speed of the engine 48 of the welding powersupply 12 based at least in part on the received control signal (as wellas other operating parameters, in certain embodiments).

In addition, in certain embodiments, instead of directly manipulatingthe operating speed of the engine 48 using the wireless remote controldevice 30, the user may instead change an operating mode of the engine48, such as Auto (auto idle) or Run (high speed lock), among others. Inother words, instead of the user setting the actual speed of the engine48 at his discretion, an operating speed mode may instead be selectedusing the wireless remote control device 30. Examples of the types ofengine control modes that may be controlled by the user using thewireless remote control device 30 are described in U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2010/0193489, entitled “INTEGRATEDENGINE-DRIVEN GENERATOR CONTROL SYSTEM,” filed Jan. 30, 2009, which isincorporated herein in its entirety for all purposes.

In addition, in certain embodiments, a means for enabling an auto-startfeature when using the wireless remote control device 30 may beimplemented. The auto-start feature is used to initiate an engine startif, for example, when in stick welding mode, the operator touches thewelding rod to the grounded surface. When such an event occurs, a uniquecommand may be sent from the wireless remote control device 30 to thewelding power supply 12, and the engine 48 may be started based at leastin part on the command. Other load detections may also initiate theauto-start feature. For example, an engine start may be initiated if awelding arc is detected (e.g., when a battery is used in the weldingpower supply 12), if a trigger of a MIG welding torch is pressed, if afoot pedal coupled to the welding power supply 12 is depressed for TIGwelding, if a TIG welding torch is touched to the grounded surface, ifamperage and/or voltage of an auxiliary load is detected, if a load onthe compressor 68 is detected (e.g., a compressor pressure or change incompressor pressure is detected), if a load on the hydraulic pump 72 isdetected (e.g., a hydraulic pump pressure or change in hydraulic pumppressure is detected), if a low battery condition (e.g., when a batterypower level falls below a predetermined threshold) for the welding powersupply 12 (or any components connected to the welding power supply 12,for that matter) is detected, and so forth. Furthermore, in certainembodiments, a means for enabling an auto-stop (i.e., auto-shutdown)feature when using the wireless remote control device 30 may beimplemented. The auto-stop feature is used to initiate an engine stopbased, for example, on weld and load times (e.g., an amount of timewithout activity of the welding power supply 12, such as weldingoperations, auxiliary load operations, compressed air deliveryoperations, hydraulic fluid delivery operations), and so forth.

It will be appreciated that the events occurring in the welding powersupply 12 or devices coupled to the welding power supply 12 for enablingthe auto-start and auto-stop features may be detected in a number ofways. For example, in certain embodiments, the welding power supply 12and/or the devices (e.g., stick welding clamp hold a stick welding rod,MIG welding torch, TIG welding torch, foot pedal, auxiliary load,compressor 68, hydraulic pump 72, and so forth) coupled to the weldingpower supply 12 may include sensors specifically configured to detectthe events that initiate the automatic starting and/or automaticstopping of the engine 48.

Furthermore, in certain embodiments, an autospeed selector on thewireless remote control device 30 or a virtual autospeed selector 88 onthe display 32 of the wireless remote control device 30, as illustratedin FIG. 5 , may be selected or deselected by the user, and an autospeedsetting may be sent to the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12consistent with the selection. In general, when the autospeed setting isselected, the operating speed of the engine 48 of the welding powersupply 12 will be automatically determined and established based oncurrent welding operating parameters (e.g., voltage, current, and soforth) of a welding operation being performed by the welding torch 16,auxiliary load requirements, compressed air delivery requirements,hydraulic fluid delivery requirements, battery power levels, and soforth. Conversely, when the autospeed setting is deselected, theoperating speed of the engine 48 of the welding power supply 12 will beset at a predetermined value (e.g., at a given speed selected by theuser via the increase/decrease slider elements, as described above).

In addition to wirelessly controlling operation of the engine 48 of thewelding power supply 12, in certain embodiments, the wireless remotecontrol device 30 may be configured to wirelessly control othercomponents of the welding power supply 12. For example, in certainembodiments, the compressor 68 of the welding power supply 12 may bestarted using the wireless remote control device 30. In such anembodiment, a user of the wireless remote control device 30 may, forexample, press a start button on the wireless remote control device 30or a virtual start button 90 on the display 32 of the wireless remotecontrol device 30, as illustrated in FIG. 6 , thereby causing a controlsignal to be sent wirelessly from the wireless remote control device 30to the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12 via the wirelesscommunication circuitry 66 of the welding power supply 12. Based atleast in part on the received control signal (as well as other operatingparameters, in certain embodiments), the controller 60 may cause thecompressor 68 of the welding power supply 12 to start.

Conversely, in certain embodiments, the compressor 68 of the weldingpower supply 12 may also be stopped using the wireless remote controldevice 30. In such an embodiment, a user of the wireless remote controldevice 30 may, for example, press a stop button on the wireless remotecontrol device 30 or a virtual stop button 92 on the display 32 of thewireless remote control device 30, as illustrated in FIG. 6 , therebycausing a control signal to be sent wirelessly from the wireless remotecontrol device 30 to the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12via the wireless communication circuitry 66 of the welding power supply12. Based at least in part on the received control signal (as well asother operating parameters, in certain embodiments), the controller 60may cause the compressor 68 of the welding power supply 12 to stop.

In addition, the current operating status (i.e., ON or OFF) of thecompressor 68 may be communicated to the wireless remote control device30 wirelessly from the controller of the welding power supply 12 via thewireless communication circuitry 66, and indicated on an indicator onthe wireless remote control device 30 or a virtual indicator 94 on thedisplay 32 of the wireless remote control device 30, as illustrated inFIG. 6 . It will be appreciated that other operating parameters andstatuses of the compressor 68 may be wirelessly controlled by thewireless remote control device 30 and displayed on the wireless remotecontrol device 30. It will further be appreciated that any type ofwelding power supply 12, line-powered, engine-driven, or otherwise, mayinclude the compressor 68, and that the wireless remote control device30 may control the compressor 68 as described herein.

Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the hydraulic pump 72 of thewelding power supply 12 may be started using the wireless remote controldevice 30. In such an embodiment, a user of the wireless remote controldevice 30 may, for example, press a start button on the wireless remotecontrol device 30 or a virtual start button 96 on the display 32 of thewireless remote control device 30, as illustrated in FIG. 6 , therebycausing a control signal to be sent wirelessly from the wireless remotecontrol device 30 to the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12via the wireless communication circuitry 66 of the welding power supply12. Based at least in part on the received control signal (as well asother operating parameters, in certain embodiments), the controller 60may cause the hydraulic pump 72 of the welding power supply 12 to start.

Conversely, in certain embodiments, the hydraulic pump 72 of the weldingpower supply 12 may also be stopped using the wireless remote controldevice 30. In such an embodiment, a user of the wireless remote controldevice 30 may, for example, press a stop button on the wireless remotecontrol device 30 or a virtual stop button 98 on the display 32 of thewireless remote control device 30, as illustrated in FIG. 6 , therebycausing a control signal to be sent wirelessly from the wireless remotecontrol device 30 to the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12via the wireless communication circuitry 66 of the welding power supply12. Based at least in part on the received control signal (as well asother operating parameters, in certain embodiments), the controller 60may cause the hydraulic pump 72 of the welding power supply 12 to stop.

In addition, the current operating status (i.e., ON or OFF) of thehydraulic pump 72 may be communicated to the wireless remote controldevice 30 wirelessly from the controller 60 of the welding power supply12 via the wireless communication circuitry 66, and indicated on anindicator on the wireless remote control device 30 or a virtualindicator 100 on the display 32 of the wireless remote control device30, as illustrated in FIG. 6 . It will be appreciated that otheroperating parameters and statuses of the hydraulic pump 72 may bewirelessly controlled by the wireless remote control device 30 anddisplayed on the wireless remote control device 30.

Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the welding output 54 of thewelding power supply 12 may be turned on and off (e.g., a contactor, asolid state control, or some other mechanism, may be activated ordeactivated) using the wireless remote control device 30. In addition,the current operating status (i.e., ON or OFF) of the welding output 54may be communicated to the wireless remote control device 30 wirelesslyfrom the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12 via the wirelesscommunication circuitry 66, and indicated on the wireless remote controldevice 30. It will be appreciated that any type of welding power supply12, line-powered, engine-driven, or otherwise, may communicate with thewireless remote control device 30 in this manner.

Many other operating parameters and statuses of the welding power supply12 may be wirelessly communicated to the wireless remote control device30 from the controller of the welding power supply 12 via the wirelesscommunication circuitry 66, and displayed on indicators of the wirelessremote control device 30 or virtual indicators on the display 32 of thewireless remote control device 30. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, in certain embodiments, the current engine fuel level of the engine 48of the welding power supply 12 may be displayed on a virtual indicator102 on the display 32 of the wireless remote control device 30. Inaddition, in certain embodiments, an estimated time until a nextscheduled oil change for the engine 48 of the welding power supply 12may be displayed on a virtual indicator 104 on the display 32 of thewireless remote control device 30. This estimated time may be calculatedby the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12 based on oilmeasurements and/or usage statistics of the engine 48 that are collectedby the controller 60. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the totalamount of time (e.g., lifetime hours) the engine 48 has been in use maybe displayed on a virtual indicator 105 on the display 32 of thewireless remote control device 30. In addition, in certain embodiments,the total amount of time (e.g., lifetime hours) the welding power supply12 in general has been in use may also be displayed on the display 32 ofthe wireless remote control device 30. It will be appreciated that anytype of welding power supply 12, line-powered, engine-driven, orotherwise, may communicate with the wireless remote control device 30 inthis manner.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 8 , in certain embodiments, enginediagnostic messages and/or diagnostic codes for the engine 48 of thewelding power supply 12 may be indicated on virtual indicators 106, 108on the display 32 of the wireless remote control device 30. It will beappreciated that using the wireless remote control device 30 towirelessly control the welding power supply 12 may facilitatecommunication of engine diagnostic messages and/or diagnostic codes thatmay otherwise not be communicable to the user, for example, via thecontrol panel 14 of the welding power supply 12. For example, in certainembodiments, the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 may notinclude a display capable of displaying detailed diagnostic messages,whereas the display 32 of the wireless remote control device 30 iscapable of displaying myriad detailed diagnostic messages.

Indeed, in certain embodiments, all available engine parametrics anddiagnostics are available via messages between the welding power supply12 and the wireless remote control device 30. Examples of such engineparametrics and diagnostics include, but are not limited to, low oilpressure, low or high oil or coolant temperatures, low battery voltagelevel, low fuel pressure, oxygen sensor readings, excessive total enginehours (e.g., excessive total engine hours since last oil change orservice), malfunction codes, and so forth. In certain embodiments, thelist of such messages is entirely programmable and can be tailored forthe engine 48 of the welding power supply 12. For example, in certainembodiments, for a welding power supply 12 that utilizes electronic fuelinjection (EFI), the engine 48 may be manufactured by Kohler and includea serial data bus with streaming data from the Kohler EFI module. Incertain embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry 66 facilitatesthe wireless remote control device 30 having access to (e.g., to assumea master of) the serial data bus of the engine 48. Any or all of thedata may be presented to the control electronics (e.g., the controller60 of the welding power supply 12), stored in local memory (e.g., thememory 64 of the controller 60) for retrieval at a later time, uploadedto an internet-based data server (e.g., using an in-system Wi-Fi,Ethernet, cellular, Bluetooth, ZigBee-to-Internet bridge, etc.) ortransmitted to the wireless remote control device 30. Examples of engineparametric and diagnostic data possible include, but are not limited to,engine RPM, engine fuel status or level, total engine hours, expectedhours to next service (e.g., such as oil change), engine diagnosticcodes (which may vary with the engine 48 used), machine diagnosticscodes (such as semiconductor module temperatures), network error codes,and so forth.

Although illustrated in FIG. 8 as relating to engine diagnostic messagesand/or diagnostic codes, diagnostic messages and/or diagnostic codes forthe welding power supply 12 in general (e.g., temperature too high,current too high, voltage too low or too high, thermistor failure, PCboard failure, power supply failure, and so forth), for all of the majorcomponents of the welding power supply 12 (e.g., the generator 50, thecompressor 68, the hydraulic pump 72, the power conversion circuitry 52,the welding power output 54, the auxiliary power output 55, thecontroller 60, the wireless communication circuitry 66, and so forth) aswell as the devices connected to the welding power supply 12 (e.g., thewelding torch 16, the wired accessory 132, and so forth) may beindicated on the display 32 of the wireless remote control device 30. Itwill be appreciated that any type of welding power supply 12,line-powered, engine-driven, or otherwise, may communicate with thewireless remote control device 30 in this manner.

The information and virtual control elements displayed on the display 32of the wireless remote control device 30 illustrated in FIGS. 5 through8 are merely exemplary of the types of information and control elementsthat may be available on the wireless remote control device 30. Inparticular, it is noted that all of the information and virtual controlelements displayed on the display 32 of the wireless remote controldevice 30 illustrated in FIGS. 5 through 8 are typical of anengine-driven welding power supply 12. However, as previously discussed,the wireless remote control device 30 may be used to control any type ofwelding power supply 12, line-powered, engine-driven, or otherwise.

In certain embodiments, the wireless remote control device 30 may beused to wirelessly control operating parameters relating to the weldingoutput 54 of the welding power supply 12, which may affect the deliveryof the welding power to the welding torch 16. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 9 , in certain embodiments, the type of weldingprocess (e.g., stick, MIG, TIG, etc.) being performed by the weldingpower supply 12 may be controlled by the wireless remote control device30. In such an embodiment, a user of the wireless remote control device30 may select the type of welding process being performed by the weldingpower supply 12 via a selector on the wireless remote control device 30or a virtual selector 110 on the display 32 of the wireless remotecontrol device 30, as illustrated in FIG. 9 . Based on the selection, acontrol signal may be sent wirelessly from the wireless remote controldevice 30 to the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12 via thewireless communication circuitry 66 of the welding power supply 12. Inresponse to this control signal, the controller 60 may change the typeof welding process consistent with the selection made by the user viathe wireless remote control device 30. It will be appreciated that anytype of welding power supply 12, line-powered, engine-driven, orotherwise, may communicate with the wireless remote control device 30 inthis manner.

In addition, the polarity (e.g., DCEN, DCEP, and so forth) of thewelding process being performed by the welding power supply 12 may becontrolled by the wireless remote control device 30. In such anembodiment, a user of the wireless remote control device 30 may selectthe polarity of the welding process being performed by the welding powersupply 12 via a selector on the wireless remote control device 30 or avirtual selector 112 on the display 32 of the wireless remote controldevice 30, as illustrated in FIG. 9 . Based on the selection, a controlsignal may be sent wirelessly from the wireless remote control device 30to the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12 via the wirelesscommunication circuitry 66 of the welding power supply 12. In responseto this control signal, the controller 60 may change the polarity of thewelding process consistent with the selection made by the user via thewireless remote control device 30. It will be appreciated that any typeof welding power supply 12, line-powered, engine-driven, or otherwise,may communicate with the wireless remote control device 30 in thismanner.

In addition, the current and/or voltage of the welding process beingperformed by the welding power supply 12 may be displayed on thewireless remote control device 30 and controlled via control elements onthe wireless remote control device 30. For example, the welding currentbeing delivered to the welding torch 16 via the welding output 54 of thewelding power supply 12 may be communicated to the wireless remotecontrol device 30 wirelessly from the controller 60 of the welding powersupply 12 via the wireless communication circuitry 66, and indicated onan indicator of the wireless remote control device 30 or a virtualindicator 114 on the display 32 of the wireless remote control device asillustrated in FIG. 9 .

Furthermore, in certain embodiments, a user of the wireless remotecontrol device may, for example, manipulate increase/decrease sliderelements (or buttons, knobs, and so forth) on the wireless remotecontrol device 30 or virtual increase/decrease slider elements 116 (orvirtual buttons, virtual knobs, and so forth) on the display 32 of thewireless remote control device 30, as illustrated in FIG. 9 , therebycausing a control signal to be sent wirelessly from the wireless remotecontrol device 30 to the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12via the wireless communication circuitry 66 of the welding power supply12, the control signal being used by the controller 60 to increase ordecrease the welding current being delivered to the welding torch 16 viathe welding output 54 of the welding power supply 12. It will beappreciated that any type of welding power supply 12, line-powered,engine-driven, or otherwise, may communicate with the wireless remotecontrol device 30 in this manner.

Similarly, the welding voltage being delivered to the welding torch 16via the welding output 54 of the welding power supply 12 may becommunicated to the wireless remote control device 30 wirelessly fromthe controller 60 of the welding power supply 12 via the wirelesscommunication circuitry 66, and indicated on an indicator of thewireless remote control device 30 or a virtual indicator 118 on thedisplay 32 of the wireless remote control device 30, as illustrated inFIG. 9 .

Furthermore, in certain embodiments, a user of the wireless remotecontrol device may, for example, manipulate increase/decrease sliderelements on the wireless remote control device 30 or virtualincrease/decrease slider elements 120 on the display 32 of the wirelessremote control device 30, as illustrated in FIG. 9 , thereby causing acontrol signal to be sent wirelessly from the wireless remote controldevice 30 to the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12 via thewireless communication circuitry 66 of the welding power supply 12, thecontrol signal being used by the controller 60 to increase or decreasethe welding voltage being delivered to the welding torch 16 via thewelding output 54 of the welding power supply 12. It will be appreciatedthat any type of welding power supply 12, line-powered, engine-driven,or otherwise, may communicate with the wireless remote control device 30in this manner.

Other operating parameters of the welding power supply 12 may bewirelessly controlled by the wireless remote control device 30 and otheroperating parameters and statuses of the welding power supply 12 may beindicated on the wireless remote control device 30. In other words, theoperating parameters and statuses described with respect to FIGS. 5through 9 are merely exemplary, and not intended to be limiting. Forexample, in certain embodiments, in addition to displaying and/orcontrolling welding voltage and welding current via the wireless remotecontrol device 30, welding voltage presets and welding current presetsmay be displayed and/or controlled via the wireless remote controldevice 30. In certain embodiments, the presets may be displayed and/orcontrolled as actual welding voltage preset values or actual weldingcurrent preset values, while in other embodiments, the presets may bedisplayed and/or controlled as percentages of welding voltage or weldingcurrent.

It should be noted that the embodiments described herein enable a levelof control of such voltage and current preset values that was previouslyunattainable. In particular, conventional techniques of controllingpreset values such as voltage and current generally involve multipleconversions between digital and analog values to implement control of awelding power supply and to convey information to a user relating tosuch values. More specifically, in conventional techniques, a user mightset a preset value for voltage or current using a control knob on acontrol panel of a welding power supply. The control knob used to adjustthe preset value is typically attached to a potentiometer that adjustsan analog input that is used to control the welding power supply.Therefore, the preset value that is set by the user via the control knobis actually merely a reference value that corresponds to a change in ananalog position of the potentiometer, rather than an actual preset valuefor voltage or control. Conversely, any value changes for voltage andcurrent occurring in the welding power supply are communicated backthrough the control knob and other control elements of the welding powersupply via a conversion back from analog positions and, as such, actonly as approximations relative to reference values corresponding tothese analog positions. As such, these conventional techniques transmitdata through multiple digital-to-analog, and vice versa, conversionsthat may cause significant errors due to drift, offset, scaling, and soforth.

In contrast to these conventional techniques of control, the embodimentsdescribed herein enable purely digital information to be communicatedbetween (i.e., both to and from) the wireless remote control device 30and the welding power supply 12 and, indeed, all the way down to theweld control. As such, all changes in control values, including voltageand current preset values, are input and communicated as the exactdigital values that are desired. Similarly, any changes to operationalvalues of the welding power supply 12 are communicated to both thecontrol panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 and the display 32 ofthe wireless remote control device 30 as more accurate digital values.Indeed, since these values are communicated digitally, they will exactlymatch each other.

In addition, in certain embodiments, the arc that is created by thewelding torch 16 may be controlled via the wireless remote controldevice 30. This arc control, which may be referred to as Dig, enables auser of the welding power supply 12 to adjust a variable amperage duringlow voltage (e.g., short arc length) conditions while welding, therebyhelping to avoid “sticking” of the electrode when a short arc length isused. Such arc control may include arc force control, pulse timing,induction control, and other arc control settings that facilitatecontrol of the arc. As such, in certain embodiments, an adjustment knobor slider on the wireless remote control device 30 (or a virtualadjustment knob or slider on the display 32 of the wireless remotecontrol device 30) may be adjusted by the user (e.g., to select more orless arc control), thereby generating a control signal that istransmitted wirelessly to the controller 60 of the welding power supply12, which adjusts an arc control setting that is used to effectuate thearc control that is selected by the user via the wireless remote controldevice 30 by, for example, adjusting a waveform of the welding powerdelivered to the welding torch 16 via the welding output 54. It will beappreciated that any type of welding power supply 12, line-powered,engine-driven, or otherwise, may benefit from the control and displaycapabilities relating to general welding process parameters and statusesas described herein.

Returning now to FIG. 4 , it will be appreciated that the networkinterface 44 of the wireless remote control device 30 and the wirelesscommunication circuitry 66 of the welding power supply 12 are configuredto communicate wirelessly with each other using any suitable wirelesscommunication techniques. For example, in certain embodiments, thewireless remote control device 30 and the welding power supply 12 mayimplement an IEEE 802.15.4 radio subsystem with a ZigBee Pro networkstack that is modified to conceal a private network key such that onlywireless remote control devices 30 and welding power supplies 12 havingthe particular type of radio systems may participate in a ZigBee network122 established between wireless remote control devices 30 and weldingpower supplies 12.

Before the wireless remote control device 30 may begin controlling thewelding power supply 12, the wireless communication network 122 betweenthe wireless remote control device 30 and the welding power supply 12must first be established. In certain embodiments, to establish thewireless communication network 122 between the wireless remote controldevice 30 and the welding power supply 12, the wireless remote controldevice 30 and the welding power supply 12 may first be paired to eachother. This pairing may be initialized by first pressing a button 124(i.e., a first synchronization mechanism) on the wireless remote controldevice 30, as illustrated in FIG. 10A, or a virtual button (i.e., afirst synchronization mechanism) on the display 32 of the wirelessremote control device 30. Once the pairing procedure has been initiated,a message 126 may be displayed on the display 32 of the wireless remotecontrol device 30 that informs the user that a similar button (i.e., asecond synchronization mechanism) on the welding power supply 12 needsto be pressed to complete the pairing process of the wireless remotecontrol device 30 and the welding power supply 12 into the wirelesscommunication network 122. Once the button (i.e., the secondsynchronization mechanism) on the welding power supply 12 has beenpressed, the network 122 may be established by the wirelesscommunication circuitry 66 of the welding power supply 12, which mayfunction as the network coordinator in certain embodiments, as describedin greater detail herein. In addition, a message 128 may be displayed onthe display 32 of the wireless remote control device 30 that informs theuser that the wireless communication network 122 has been established,as illustrated in FIG. 10B.

In certain embodiments, the pairing of the wireless remote controldevice 30 and the welding power supply 12 may only be initiated when thesynchronization mechanisms (e.g., the buttons or virtual buttons) on thewireless remote control device 30 and the welding power supply 12 aresimultaneously activated (e.g., pressed). However, it will beappreciated that in other embodiments, the pairing of the wirelessremote control device 30 and the welding power supply 12 may beinitiated when the synchronization mechanism on the welding power supply12 is activated within a given time period (e.g., within 15 seconds,within 10 seconds, within 5 seconds, and so forth) after the initialpairing request from the wireless remote control device 30.

Although initiation of the pairing process has been described as beingperformed from the wireless remote control device 30, it will beappreciated that in certain embodiments, initiation of the pairingprocess may be performed from the control panel 14 of the welding powersupply 12, with the messages being displayed on a display on the controlpanel 14, the first button press being on the control panel 14 of thewelding power supply 12, and the second button press being on thewireless remote control device 30. Again, in certain embodiments, thepairing of the wireless remote control device 30 with the welding powersupply 12 may only be initiated when the synchronization mechanisms(e.g., the buttons or virtual buttons) on the wireless remote controldevice 30 and the welding power supply 12 are simultaneously activated(e.g., pressed). However, it will be appreciated that in otherembodiments, the pairing of the wireless remote control device 30 andthe welding power supply 12 may be accomplished when the synchronizationmechanism on the wireless remote control device 30 is activated within agiven time period (e.g., within 15 seconds, within 10 seconds, within 5seconds, and so forth) after the initial pairing request from thewelding power supply 12.

In addition, in other embodiments, other procedures for initiatingpairing between the wireless remote control device 30 and the weldingpower supply 12 may be used. For example, in certain embodiments, thepairing may be initiated by first pressing the button 124 on thewireless remote control device 30, as illustrated in FIG. 10A, or avirtual button on the display 32 of the wireless remote control device30. Once the pairing procedure has been initiated, confirmation ofactivation of the button 124 or the virtual button on the display 32 ofthe wireless remote control device 30 may be confirmed via the controlpanel 14 of the welding power supply 12, for example, via a display onthe control panel 14 or by activation of a button on the control panel14. Conversely, in other embodiments, the pairing may be initiated byfirst pressing a button on the control panel 14 of the welding powersupply 12. Once the pairing procedure has been initiated, confirmationof activation of the button on the welding power supply 12 may beconfirmed via the display of the wireless remote control device 30.

In other embodiments, the pairing process may be initiated by a userentering certain identifying information (e.g., a serial number, a name,a description, a passcode, and so forth, or any combination thereof)relating to the welding power supply 12 via the display 32 of thewireless remote control device 30. Alternatively, the pairing processmay be initiated by a user entering certain identifying information(e.g., a serial number, a name, a description, a passcode, and so forth,or any combination thereof) relating to the wireless remote controldevice 30 via the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12. Insuch embodiments, assuming that both the wireless remote control device30 and the welding power supply 12 include the appropriate security(e.g., encryption) keys, and that the information entered by the user iscorrect, the pairing between the wireless remote control device 30 andthe welding power supply 12 is allowed.

In yet other embodiments, to facilitate initiation of the pairingprocess, one or more of the wireless remote control device 30 and thewelding power supply 12 may be configured to provide a pairing cue to anoperator, and information relating to the cue may be entered in theother of the wireless remote control device 30 and the welding powersupply 12. In certain embodiments, the pairing cue may be a visualindication (e.g., a flashing display, special characters on analphanumeric display, flashing light emitting diodes, characters, orlamps that illuminate, and so forth) or an aural indication (e.g., abuzzer, a loudspeaker with a tone alert or a recorded voice, and soforth). Such embodiments facilitate pairing of welding power supplies 12that are rack-mounted or otherwise not easily accessible by theoperator.

In certain embodiments, once the pairing process has been initiated byeither the wireless remote control device 30 or the welding power supply12, a power level of the wireless communication circuitry 66 (e.g., apower level of a radio transmitter) of the welding power supply 12 maybe reduced as a means to avoid inadvertent pairing to unintendeddevices. In general, once the pairing process has been completed and thewireless communication network 122 has been established between thewelding power supply 12 and the wireless remote control device 30, thepower level of the wireless communication circuitry 66 may be increasedback to a normal level, for example, back to the power level before thepairing process was initiated.

Although many embodiments described herein relate to pairing of awireless remote control device 30 with a welding power supply 12 that isinitiated via manual activation of certain features (e.g., buttons, andso forth) on both of the devices, in other embodiments, the pairingbetween a wireless remote control device 30 and a welding power supply12 may be initiated using other methods. For example, a given wirelessremote control device 30 may be pre-programmed to be paired with aparticular welding power supply 12, or vice versa, when manufactured ina factory. Furthermore, in other embodiments, instead of requiringactivation of features on both the wireless remote control device 30 andthe welding power supply 12, pairing between the devices may beinitiated via a single manual synchronization method. In other words,activation of only a feature on a wireless remote control device 30 maybe sufficient to initiate synchronization (i.e., pairing) with a weldingpower supply 12. In such an embodiment, for example, once a user pressesa synchronization button on the wireless remote control device 30, amenu option may be displayed via the display 32 of the wireless remotecontrol device 30, whereby the user can select a welding power supply 12(from a list of welding power supplies 12 having the requisite securitykeys, for example) with which to pair the wireless remote control device30. It will be appreciated that a similar single manual synchronizationpairing method may also be implemented from the control panel 14 of thewelding power supply 12 as well, whereby the user selects a specificwireless remote control device 30 (from a list of wireless remotecontrol devices 30 having the requisite security keys, for example) withwhich to pair the welding power supply 12.

In general, only one wireless remote control device 30 may be pairedwith one welding power supply 12 at any given time (i.e., the wirelessremote control device 30 and the welding power supply 12 may only bepaired together in a 1:1 pairing relationship). In other words, only onewireless remote control device 30 may be capable of remotely controllinga given welding power supply 12 at any given time, and a given weldingpower supply 12 may only be capable of being remotely controlled by onewireless remote control device 30 at any given time.

However, in certain embodiments, more than one wireless remote controldevice 30 may be paired with a given welding power supply 12 at anygiven time, and these wireless remote control devices 30 may be used tocontrol the welding power supply 12 in tandem. As a non-limitingexample, in one embodiment, a wireless foot pedal may be used to controlamperage of the welding output 54 of the welding power supply 12 and awireless pendant may be used to control the type of welding process,starting and/or stopping of the welding power supply 12, and so forth.In such embodiments, a certain type of wireless remote control device 30may control a certain subset of control features for the welding powersupply 12, whereas other types of wireless remote control devices 30 maycontrol other subsets of control features for the welding power supply12, and the combined subsets of control features may be complementarywith each other. In the case where multiple paired wireless remotecontrol devices 30 are both capable of controlling a given feature(e.g., parameter or status) for the welding power supply 12, certainpriorities between the multiple paired wireless remote control devices30 may be stored in the memory 64 of the controller and prioritizationof control between the multiple paired wireless remote control devicesmay be implemented accordingly.

At any given time after the welding power supply 12 and the wirelessremote control device 30 have been paired together, a de-pairingprocedure may be performed to terminate the pairing between the weldingpower supply 12 and the wireless remote control device 30. For example,a user may initiate termination of the pairing between a given weldingpower supply 12 and a paired wireless remote control device 30 byinteracting with either the control panel 14 of the welding power supply12 or the wireless remote control device 30 (e.g., via the display 32 ofthe wireless remote control device 30). For instance, an option tode-pair the welding power supply 12 from the wireless remote controldevice 30 may be selected by the user as an option in a menu presentedvia the display 32 of the wireless remote control device 30 (or,similarly, via the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12).Once de-pairing is initiated, the controller 60 of the welding powersupply 12 may cause the wireless communication circuitry 66 of thewelding power supply 12 to terminate the wireless communication network122 between the welding power supply 12 and the wireless remote controldevice 30, and signals may be sent to both the control panel 14 of thewelding power supply 12 and the wireless remote control device 30 todisplay to users of the welding power supply 12 and the wireless remotecontrol device 30 that the pairing has been terminated and the wirelesscommunication network 122 between the welding power supply 12 and thewireless remote control device 30 no longer exists.

It will be appreciated that other events may initiate termination ofpairing between a given welding power supply 12 and a paired wirelessremote control device 30. For example, in the event that the pairedwireless remote control device 30 has been outside of the range of thewireless communication network 122 for a certain period of time, thecontroller 60 of the welding power supply 12 may automatically initiatethe de-pairing procedure described above. In such an event, the user ofthe welding power supply 12 may be provided with a prompt via thecontrol panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 to confirm that the userdoes, in fact, wish for the pairing between the welding power supply 12and the wireless remote control device 30 to be terminated. In certainsituations, the user may instead wish to leave the wirelesscommunication network 122 in place, and to simply bring the wirelessremote control device 30 back into the range of the wirelesscommunication network 122.

In certain embodiments, de-pairing of the wireless remote control device30 and the welding power supply 12 may not be initiated unless theoperator performs an intentional action like re-pairing the wirelessremote control device 30 with another welding power supply 12,re-pairing another wireless remote control device 30 to the weldingpower supply 12, and so forth. Furthermore, the wireless communicationnetwork 122 between the paired welding power supply 12 and wirelessremote control device 30 is maintained even if the operator turns offthe welding power supply 12 or the engine 48 of the welding power supply12. It will be appreciated that any type of welding power supply 12,line-powered, engine-driven, or otherwise, may utilize the pairing andde-pairing techniques described herein in conjunction with the wirelessremote control device 30.

In certain embodiments, once the welding power supply 12 and thewireless remote control device 30 are paired together, the controller 60of the welding power supply 12 functions as the ZigBee coordinator forthe ZigBee network 122 created between the welding power supply 12 andthe wireless remote control device 30. In other words, the controller 60of the welding power supply 12 may be responsible for establishing theZigBee network 122, maintaining wireless communications via the ZigBeenetwork 122, etc. The ZigBee coordinator functionality of the controller60 is similar to the functionality of the master node devices describedin U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/795,639, entitled “WIRELESSCOMMUNICATION NETWORK FOR CONTROL OF INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT IN HARSHENVIRONMENTS,” filed Mar. 12, 2013, which is incorporated herein in itsentirety for all purposes. It should be noted that the ZigBeecoordinator functionality need not necessarily reside in the weldingpower supply 12. Rather, in other embodiments, the ZigBee coordinatorfunctionality may reside in a separate master node device thatfacilitates communication between the welding power supply 12 and thewireless remote control device 30. In yet other embodiments, the ZigBeecoordinator functionality may reside in the wireless remote controldevice 30. More specifically, the processor 38 of the wireless remotecontrol device 30 may execute instructions stored on its memory 40 thatcarry out the ZigBee coordinator functionality of network associationand security, improved robustness, power management and optimization,sensor data transmission, and so forth.

Furthermore, while the wireless communication network 122 establishedbetween the welding power supply 12 and the wireless remote controldevice 30 may be a ZigBee network 122 (e.g., as message payloads in the802.15.4 and ZigBee descriptions) in certain embodiments, other types ofwireless communication networks may be established between the weldingpower supply 12 and the wireless remote control device 30, and thenetwork coordinator functionality may be consistent with these othertypes of wireless communication networks. Any type of radio standardcapable of sending packetized data between the welding power supply 12and the wireless remote control device 30 may be used to implement thewireless communication techniques described herein. In general, in thewireless communication network 122, there exists a so-called “masternode”, which effects management (i.e., coordination) of the wirelesscommunication network 122. Other nodes may exist in the wirelesscommunication network 122 for the purpose of exchanging signals (e.g.,commands, responses, data, and so forth), and these other nodes mayassume local network addressing in conjunction with the master node. Insome instances, the temporal relationship for data transfers on thewireless communication network 122 (e.g., which node may send data, andwhen, and for how long, and so forth) is at least partially set bypolicy by the master node. These policies may vary based on the type ofwireless communication network 122. For example, for Wi-Fi networks(IEEE 802.11), the master node is an access point (or wireless accesspoint); for Bluetooth networks (IEEE 802.15.1), there is a master nodeand a slave node; and for ZigBee networks (IEEE 802.15.4), there is acoordinator that sets the network for a collection of end nodes androuters.

The existing ZigBee and ZigBee Pro network definitions, as embodied intheir respective network “stacks” and described within documentspublished by the ZigBee Alliance (www.zigbee.org) provide for openpromiscuous network joining of all devices. However, the control ofhigh-powered electrical equipment such as the welding power supply 12described herein requires a higher level of security and reliability,both for security of data and for safety use concerns. Accordingly, theembodiments described herein implement more exclusive control over thewelding power supply 12 and the types of wireless remote control devices30 that are allowed to join the wireless communication network 122 andto control the welding power supply 12. In particular, in certainembodiments, a modified version of the released ZigBee Pro softwarestack may be implemented, with modifications being made to the securityprovisions, the pairing procedures, and so forth.

More specifically, the generic public ZigBee Pro stack generally allowsany ZigBee device to join a network or to use network facilities (i.e.,routers) to form a larger mesh network. In contrast, the embodimentsdescribed herein restrict all network access to only those devices thatare imprinted with security (e.g., encryption) keys. More specifically,in certain embodiments, all wireless communication between the wirelessremote control device 30 and the welding power supply 12 (including thepairing procedure) requires that both the wireless remote control device30 and the welding power supply 12 include security keys stored inmemory of the respective devices. During each communication between thewireless remote control device 30 and the welding power supply 12, thedevices check that the requisite security keys are present and that thewireless communication may be permitted.

In contrast to conventional techniques, in the embodiments describedherein, the security keys are not transmitted between the wirelessremote control device 30 and the welding power supply 12. In otherwords, the security keys are not shared across the wirelesscommunication network 122 between the wireless remote control device 30and the welding power supply 12. Rather, again, the security keys areeither installed in the devices during manufacture (e.g., in the case ofthe welding power supply 12, where the wireless remote control device 30is an OEM pendant, and so forth) or are pre-loaded into the device priorto the wireless communication with the other device.

It will be appreciated that, in many embodiments, the welding powersupply 12 will be pre-loaded with the security keys (e.g., stored in thememory 64 of the welding power supply 12) when manufactured. Inaddition, in certain embodiments, the wireless remote control device 30will be a dedicated OEM welding device that is specifically manufacturedto operate with the welding power supply 12 and, as such, will bepre-loaded with the security keys required to operate with the weldingpower supply 12. In certain embodiments, all wireless remote controldevices 30 equipped with Zigbee radios will be pre-loaded at the pointof manufacture with a minimal code load, such as a “boot loader”designed to pair with a welding power supply 12, operating as a ZigBeecoordinator. During this initial “first pairing”, a host servicing thecoordinator determines that the wireless remote control device is, forexample, an unprogrammed pendant, and then pushes a firmware image ofthe pendant code (which will operate the welding power supply 12) ontothe pendant. When the operator re-starts the pendant, it will thenassume the personality of the correct pendant for the welding powersupply 12.

It will be appreciated that, in certain embodiments, the security keysand/or the communication software or firmware may be downloaded into thewireless remote control device 30 at a different time other than duringmanufacture, for example, prior to the pairing process of the weldingpower supply 12 and the wireless remote control device 30. As anexample, returning now to FIG. 4 , the security keys and/or thecommunication software or firmware may be downloaded from a server 130(e.g., web server, local area network server, and so forth) that theuser of the wireless remote control device 30 connects to and, incertain embodiments, logs into using login credentials to provide anadded layer of security.

If the wireless remote control device 30 includes the requisite securitykeys, the wireless communication network 122 may recognize the wirelessremote control device 30 and enable pairing of the wireless remotecontrol device 30 with the welding power supply 12. In certainembodiments, once recognized, the controller 60 of the welding powersupply 12 may cause a prompt on the display 32 of the wireless remotecontrol device 30 to be displayed that asks for the user of the wirelessremote control device 30 to input a passcode that is, for example,displayed on the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 toconfirm that pairing should proceed.

In general, any wireless remote control device 30 having the requisitesecurity keys will be allowed to join the wireless communication network122 and be paired to a welding power supply 12. In certain embodiments,for example if the wireless remote control device 30 is a pendantdevice, the wireless remote control device 30 may only have the softwareto allow pairing to a coordinator (e.g., a welding power supply 12). Insuch an embodiment, the coordinator will be programmed to examine thetype of the paired wireless remote control device 30 (e.g., whether itis a pressure mat, grinder, general purpose router, universal remotecontrol, and so forth) and, as required, will initiate a code downloadto the wireless remote control device 30. In such embodiments, thewelding power supply 12 will push code (e.g., pendant code) of thelatest release (e.g., version) to the wireless remote control device 30via the wireless communication network 122 to enable the wireless remotecontrol device 30 to control operation of the welding power supply 12.Then, the wireless remote control device 30 is re-started, and it beginsoperation as a wireless remote controller (e.g., pendant) for thewelding power supply 12.

Once the welding power supply 12 and the wireless remote control device30 have been paired together, thereby establishing the wirelesscommunication network 122 between them, in certain embodiments, thecontrol panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 and the wireless remotecontrol device 30 (e.g., via its display 32) may provide substantiallysimilar functionality for control of the welding power supply 12. Inparticular, in certain embodiments, a unified, nested menu structure forcontrolling the welding power supply 12 may be displayed on andmanipulated from the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 andthe display 32 of the wireless remote control device 30. Table 1illustrates a non-limiting exemplary nested menu structure that may beshared between the welding power supply 12 and the wireless remotecontrol device 30 paired to the welding power supply 12.

TABLE 1 Exemplary nested menu structure Main Menu  Mode/Process Select  Scratch Start TIG   Lift-Arc TIG   TIG   MIG   Pulsed MIG   CC   Stick Voltage/Amperage Adjust  Inductance/Dig Adjust  Panel/Remote  OutputON/OFF  Engine   Start/Stop   Auto/Run   Engine Parameters  Pairing  . ..

In general, the menu structure will be dependent upon the type ofwelding power supply 12 being controlled, or even the specific featuresavailable on a welding power supply 12 of a given type. For example, themenu structure for a TIG welding power supply 12 will be different thanthe menu structure for a multi-process engine-driven welding powersupply 12. The menu structure enables the wireless remote control device30 to generally duplicate the control features available on the weldingpower supply 12 to which it is paired. Often, the control featuresavailable from the wireless remote control device 30 will be limited tothose control features available from the welding power supply 12 (e.g.,via the control panel 14). However, in certain embodiments, advancedcontrol features may be enabled through the wireless remote controldevice 30 that are otherwise not available from the welding power supply12 (e.g., via the control panel 14). For example, additional controlfeatures may be presented via the nested menu structure that ispresented on the display 32 of the wireless remote control device 30that are not available via the control panel 14 of the welding powersupply 12. Indeed, in certain situations, the wireless remote controldevice 30 may control a welding power supply 12 having a control panel14 that does not have a display capable of displaying a substantiallysimilar nested menu structure. It will be appreciated that any type ofwelding power supply 12, line-powered, engine-driven, or otherwise, maycommunicate with the wireless remote control device 30 in this manner.

Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the wireless remote control device30 may be used to add functionality to the welding power supply 12. As anon-limiting example, a user may use the wireless remote control device30 to select functionality that is added to the welding power supply 12.For example, the user may select a certain advanced welding process,such as a pulsed MIG welding process, via the display 32 of the wirelessremote control device 30 as process functionality that is desired by theuser but that is not currently enabled in the welding power supply 12.In such a situation, upon selection of the advanced welding process(e.g., via the display 32 of the wireless remote control device 30), thewireless remote control device 30 may wirelessly transmit thefunctionality (e.g., software) to the welding power supply 12, which maythen be stored in the welding power supply 12 (e.g., in the memory 64)and used by the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12, therebyenabling the advanced welding process in the welding power supply 12.Alternatively, in certain embodiments, selection of advanced weldingprocesses by the user via the wireless remote control device 30 mayinitiate the functionality being downloaded into the welding powersupply 12 from an external source such as the server 130, for example.It will be appreciated that any type of welding power supply 12,line-powered, engine-driven, or otherwise, may communicate with thewireless remote control device 30 in this manner.

In certain embodiments, a method for prioritization of control betweenthe control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 and the wirelessremote control device 30 may be used to ensure that only one of thecontrol panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 and the wireless remotecontrol device 30 may be used to control the welding power supply 12 atany given time. In certain embodiments, prioritization of controlbetween the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 and thewireless remote control device 30 may be effectuated via an input device(e.g., a switching mechanism, such as a switch, push button, and soforth, in certain embodiments) disposed on the welding power supply 12.

In other embodiments, when the welding power supply 12 is turned off(e.g., in a powered off state) and a user turns the welding power supply12 on (e.g., places the welding power supply 12 in a powered on state),the electronics (e.g., the control panel 14, the controller 60, thewireless communication circuitry 66, and so forth) of the welding powersupply 12 may be turned on, but the welding power output may not bedelivered yet. For example, at this point in time, the engine 48 of thewelding power supply 12 may not yet be powered on. At this point intime, if the user turns on the wireless remote control device 30 that ispaired to the welding power supply 12, and initiates a command to startthe engine 48 of the welding power supply 12 (or any other controlcommand), then the wireless remote control device 30 is automaticallyset as the prioritized control device, the control panel 14 of thewelding power supply 12 is automatically locked out from controlling alloperating parameters of the welding power supply 12, except to turn thewelding power supply 12 off, and all control of the welding power supply12 is passed to the wireless remote control device 30. In certainembodiments, instead of being locked out from controlling all operatingparameters of the welding power supply 12, only a certain subset ofavailable operating parameters (e.g., a certain plurality of operatingparameters, only one operating parameter, and so forth) of the weldingpower supply 12 may be locked from being controlled from the controlpanel 14 of the welding power supply 12.

If instead of initiating a command to start the engine 48 of the weldingpower supply 12 (or any other control command) from the wireless remotecontrol device 30, the user uses the control panel 14 of the weldingpower supply 12 to start the engine 48 (or issue any other controlcommand), then the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 isautomatically set as the prioritized control device, the wireless remotecontrol device 30 is locked out from controlling all operatingparameters of the welding power supply 12, except to turn the weldingpower supply 12 off, and all control of the welding power supply 12 ispassed to the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12. Incertain embodiments, instead of being locked out from controlling alloperating parameters of the welding power supply 12, only a certainsubset of available operating parameters (e.g., a certain plurality ofoperating parameters, only one operating parameter, and so forth) of thewelding power supply 12 may be locked from being controlled from thewireless remote control device 30.

In other words, in certain embodiments, after the welding power supply12 is turned on (e.g., changed from a powered off state to a powered onstate), the first of the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12and a paired wireless remote control device to attempt to issue acontrol command for the welding power supply 12 becomes the prioritizedcontrol device, with the other device becoming locked out until furtheraction is taken (e.g., actively changing the prioritization via eitherthe control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 or the wirelessremote control device 30). For example, in certain embodiments, the usermay override the prioritization between the wireless remote controldevice 30 and the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 byinteracting with whichever device is currently the prioritized controldevice (i.e., in essence, giving prioritization to the non-prioritizeddevice). In addition, in certain embodiments, the prioritization ofcontrol between the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 andthe wireless remote control device 30 may be re-initialized by poweringthe welding power supply 12 off and then powering it back on again.

As described above, while many of the operating parameters (e.g.,welding voltage, welding current, and so forth) may not be modified bythe non-prioritized control device (e.g., whichever of the control panel14 of the welding power supply 12 and the wireless remote control device30 is not the prioritized control device), the one particular operatingstatus of turning off the welding power supply 12 may be modified. Assuch, as used herein, whether the welding power supply 12 (or any of itscomponents, such as the engine 48) is turned on or off is referred to asan operating status instead of an operating parameter.

Therefore, instead of requiring a user to manually switch prioritizationof control between the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12and the wireless remote control device 30, the embodiments describedherein enable automatic prioritization based on the actions of the user.Furthermore, the embodiments described herein enable the device that isnot currently the prioritized control device to be locked out fromcontrolling the welding power supply 12, thereby providing tightercontrol of the welding power supply 12. In addition, operation of thewelding power supply 12 is easily changed between local control (e.g.,via the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12) and remotecontrol (e.g., via the wireless remote control device 30) withoutchanging wired connections.

In addition, it should be noted that in certain embodiments, dualcontrols (i.e., enabling control from both the wireless remote controldevice 30 and a separate wired remote control device) may be enabled.For example, in certain embodiments, changing to this dual control modemay be configurable under software control. As illustrated in FIG. 4 ,an example of this type of dual control may be when a wired accessory132, such as a foot pedal, is connected to an accessory connector 134(e.g., a multi-pin connector, such as a 14-pin connector) of the weldingpower supply 12, and both the wired accessory 132 and the wirelessremote control device 30 are used to control the welding power supply12. In such a situation, the operator may desire to use the wiredaccessory 132 when welding in a TIG welding process (e.g., to finelycontrol the welding current), but use the wireless remote control device30 for other features. It will be appreciated that any type of weldingpower supply 12, line-powered, engine-driven, or otherwise, may utilizethe prioritization techniques described herein in conjunction with thewireless remote control device 30.

In certain embodiments, the control panel 14 of the welding power supply12 is connected to the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12 viaan internal RS-485 serial data connection 136 and appears as a terminalto the controller 60. In certain embodiments, the wireless communicationcircuitry 66 includes a “gateway” circuit 138 that provides relays tocontrol the engine starting process, a mating radio system tocommunicate with the wireless remote control device 30, and a connectionto the internal RS-485 serial data connection 136. The gateway circuit138 of the wireless communication circuitry 66 appears as anotherterminal to the controller 60, which selects either, but not both,terminals (e.g., the internal RS-485 serial data connection 136 and thegateway circuit 138 of the wireless communication circuitry 66) ascontrolling for the welding power supply 12. As described above, thedecision logic that selects either the control panel 14 of the weldingpower supply 12 or the wireless remote control device 30 is determinedwhen the welding power supply 12 is turned on.

In addition to using secure measures, such as the security keys, toensure that the welding power supply 12 and the wireless remote controldevice 30 communicate wirelessly with each other, embodiments describedherein may utilize a messaging protocol system that facilitatesstructured data transmission. In particular, in certain embodiments, amessaging protocol that is based on the extensible markup language (XML)may be used, and the data packets that are sent between the weldingpower supply 12 and the wireless remote control device 30 may conform tothis protocol. As will be appreciated, in XML, messages have a headerstructure with a “Tag” and a “Variable”. An example is a message linewith a Tag of “COLOR” and a Variable of “BLUE”. As described herein, anadditional attribute that is associated with each Tag-Variablecombination is “Unit” so that the transmitted data includes anassociated unit, such as Temperature, Voltage, Current, and so forth.Thus, the structured data format that may be implemented herein may bereferred to as TUV (Tag-Unit-Variable). Using the TUV data structures, alibrary of message elements may be built, which can be added together ina string to construct data and commands for remote control of thewelding power supply 12 via the wireless remote control device 30.

In addition, in certain embodiments, a unique programmable graphicaluser interface (GUI) may be implemented that allows the wireless remotecontrol device 30 to pair to any welding power supply 12 with a uniquegraphic symbol set and nested menu structure, as described herein,thereby allowing all controllable features of the paired wireless remotecontrol device 30 and welding power supply 12 to be controlled andmodified. In particular, as opposed to using similar graphical userinterfaces on the wireless remote control device 30 and the weldingpower supply 12 that merely display text and numeric displays, theembodiments described herein enable sharing between the wireless remotecontrol device 30 and the welding power supply 12 of graphic symbols,written instructions, and programmable features, such as the display ofcommon virtual control elements, such as the virtual buttons and virtualslider elements described with respect to FIGS. 5 through 9 . Usingthese nested menus facilitates provision of all of the functions (andeven more functions) that are available on the control panel 14 of thewelding power supply 12 on the wireless remote control device 30 aswell, while not requiring exact one-to-one duplication of the exact lookand feel of the control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12.

In certain embodiments, power saving (or “green”) features areimplemented, such as using the radio interface electronics (e.g., thewireless communication circuitry 66) of the welding power supply 12 toturn off the power in the welding power supply electronics (e.g., thecontroller 60) of the welding power supply 12 after periods of non-useof the welding power supply 12, leaving the radio subsystem of thewireless communication circuitry 66 in a supervisory role. In thissupervisory role, the radio sub-circuitry of the wireless communicationcircuitry 66 enters a sleep mode after turning the power of the weldingpower supply 12 off, thus saving on battery power. In this sleep mode,the radio subsystem of the wireless communication circuitry 66periodically awakens for very short periods to monitor radio traffic(e.g., to determine whether an operator wants to re-start the weldingfunctionality of the welding power supply 12). In addition, in thissleep mode, the average current consumption may be in the low micro-ampregion. It will be appreciated that any type of welding power supply 12,line-powered, engine-driven, or otherwise, may utilize the power-savingfeatures described herein.

In certain embodiments, a user may also actively place the welding powersupply 12 and/or the wireless remote control device 30 into the sleepmode. For example, in certain embodiments, a user may place the wirelessremote control device 30 into a sleep mode by selecting a sleep optionvia the display 32 of the wireless remote control device 30, and thenetwork interface 44 of the wireless remote control device 30 may send acontrol signal to the wireless communication circuitry 66 of the weldingpower supply 12 to place the welding power supply 12 into a sleep mode.In response, the controller 60 of the welding power supply 12 may eitherplace the welding power supply 12 into the sleep mode, or present anoption to the user via the control panel 14 of the welding power supply12 to place the welding power supply 12 in the sleep mode or leave thewelding power supply 12 in the normal operating mode.

Conversely, in certain embodiments, a user may place the welding powersupply 12 into a sleep mode by selecting a sleep option via the controlpanel 14 of the welding power supply 12, and the wireless communicationcircuitry 66 of the welding power supply 12 may send a control signal tothe network interface 44 of the wireless remote control device 30 toplace the wireless remote control device 30 into a sleep mode. Inresponse, the processor 38 of the wireless remote control device 30 mayeither place the wireless remote control device 30 into the sleep mode,or present an option to the user via the display 32 of the wirelessremote control device 30 to place the wireless remote control device 30in the sleep mode or leave the wireless remote control device 30 in thenormal operating mode.

Once the welding power supply 12 and/or the wireless remote controldevice 30 is placed into a sleep mode, detection of activity on eitherthe welding power supply 12 or the wireless remote control device 30 maycause the respective device (i.e., either the welding power supply 12 orthe wireless remote control device 30) to wake from the sleep mode(i.e., resume the normal operating mode), and send a control signal tothe other device to wake the other device from a sleep mode (if, infact, the other device is in the sleep mode).

In certain embodiments, the last used operating conditions for thewelding power supply 12 may be stored in the welding power supply 12and/or the wireless remote control device 30. For example, when thewelding power supply 12 is shut down, the last control settings, such asthe selected welding process (e.g., stick, DC, and so forth) withselectable parameters (e.g., current/voltage settings, arc stiffnesssettings, and so forth) may be stored in the memory 64 of the controller60 of the welding power supply 12 and/or in the memory 40 or the storage42 of the wireless remote control device 30. In this manner, whenre-started, the welding power supply 12 may resume with the samesettings as most recently used, thereby saving the operator the time ofre-setting the welding power supply 12 for the same work. It will beappreciated that any of the operating parameters and statuses describedherein may be stored for later use in this manner.

Furthermore, in certain embodiments, user-preferred welding settings maybe stored in wireless remote control device 30 and, in certaininstances, in the welding power supply 12. For example, an operator maybe welding on differing steel gauges of sheet metal using a MIG weldingprocess. In this scenario, the operator may select the preferred processfrom a short menu that may be programmed, as needed, to save up to apredetermined number of selections, which may be stored in the memory 40or the storage 42 of the wireless remote control device 30 and, incertain instances, in the memory 64 of the controller 60 of the weldingpower supply 12. These user-preferred settings may be referred to as“welding presets.” It will be appreciated that any of the controllableoperating parameters described herein may be stored as welding presetsfor later use in this manner, and that any type of welding power supply12, line-powered, engine-driven, or otherwise, may utilize such weldingpresets.

In certain embodiments, the software or firmware of the wireless remotecontrol device 30 may include a “find” function so that if the wirelessremote control device 30 is misplaced, it will have either or both of avisual indicator or an audio indicator that can be activated to indicatethe location of the wireless remote control device 30 to the user. Incertain embodiments, the wireless remote control device 30 may include aflashing lamp or a flashing display backlight that may be illuminated.For example, as illustrated in FIG. 11 , in certain embodiments, thewireless remote control device 30 may include a separate light emittingdiode 140 that may be illuminated (or pulsed) to indicate the locationof the wireless remote control device 30. In other embodiments, thedisplay 32 of the wireless remote control device 30 itself may beilluminated to indicate the location of the wireless remote controldevice 30. For example, when the find function is activated (e.g., whena user selects the find function via the control panel 14 of the weldingpower supply 12, thereby sending a control signal to the wireless remotecontrol device 30), the light level of the display 32 of the wirelessremote control device 30 may be pulsed in order to create pulsatinglight to facilitate identification of the location of the wirelessremote control device 30. In other embodiments, the wireless remotecontrol device 30 may be configured to activate an audio indicator 142(e.g., a buzzer, speaker, piezo transducer, and so forth), which may beinternal to the wireless remote control device 30, to facilitateidentification of the location of the wireless remote control device 30.

In certain embodiments, the find function may be activated by selectingthe find function via the control panel 14 of the welding power supply12. Once the find function is activated by the user, a signal may besent wirelessly to the wireless remote control device and the wirelessremote control device 30 may activate the light emitting diode 140and/or the display 32 and/or the audio indicator 142 to cause the visualand/or audio indication to be activated on the wireless remote controldevice 30 to facilitate identification of the location of the wirelessremote control device 30. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, thewireless remote control device 30 itself may initiate activation of thefind function in the event, for example, that the wireless remotecontrol device 30 loses its wireless connection to the welding powersupply 12 via the communication network 122. For example, in certainembodiments, if the wireless remote control device 30 is moved to alocation outside of a wireless communication range with the weldingpower supply 12 via the communication network 122, the wireless remotecontrol device 30 may cause the visual and/or audio indicators to beactivated, thereby alerting nearby users that the wireless remotecontrol device 30 should be brought back into the wireless communicationrange with the welding power supply 12 to which it is paired.

The embodiments described herein allow for complete flexibility inprogramming a wireless remote control device 30 such that every featureof a welding power supply 12 to which the wireless remote control device30 is paired may be controlled, not merely a few weld parameters. Inaddition, in using the wireless remote control device 30 to control thewelding power supply 12, the operator does not need to physically seethe control panel 14 of the welding power supply 12 and, thus, can belocated as far from the welding power supply 12 as the permissiblelength of the weld cables, such as cables 18, 22 as long as the wirelessremote control device 30 is within a wireless communication range of thewireless communication network 122. In addition, the welding powersupply 12 may be shut off when weld current is not required, savingfuel, such as when material is being moved, etc.

While only certain features have been illustrated and described herein,many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art.It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intendedto cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the scope ofthe claims.

1. (canceled)
 2. A welding power supply comprising: a housing comprisinga control panel configured to receive at least a first input from anoperator; power conversion circuitry disposed within the housing andconfigured to convert input power into output power for a weldingoperation; and local control circuitry disposed within the housing andconfigured to: enter a sleep mode in response to at least one of aninput to a user interface or receiving a sleep signal from a portableelectronic device; wirelessly receive a control signal from remotecontrol circuitry of the portable electronic device; wake up the weldingpower supply from the sleep mode in response to receiving at least oneof the control signal or a signal representative of activity on theportable electronic device; wirelessly send a wake signal to theportable electronic device to wake the portable electronic device from asleep mode upon the detection of activity on the user interface; andcontrol the welding power supply based on the received control signal.3. The welding power supply of claim 2, further comprising anengine-driven generator configured to provide electrical power to thepower conversion circuitry.
 4. The welding power supply of claim 2,wherein the local control circuitry is configured to set prioritizationof control of the welding power supply between the portable electronicdevice and the control panel of the welding power supply, to prevent thecontrol panel from controlling at least one parameter of the weldingpower supply when the portable electronic device is prioritized, and toprevent the portable electronic device from controlling the at least oneparameter of the welding power supply when the control panel isprioritized.
 5. The welding power supply of claim 2, wherein theportable electronic device comprises a display, the local controlcircuitry is configured to wirelessly send data to the portableelectronic device, and the portable electronic device is configured todisplay the data on the display.
 6. The welding power supply of claim 2,wherein the portable electronic device comprises a display, the localcontrol circuitry is configured to wirelessly send data relating todiagnostic messages or diagnostic codes for the welding power supply tothe portable electronic device, and the portable electronic device isconfigured to display the data on the display.
 7. The welding powersupply of claim 2, wherein the portable electronic device comprises adisplay, and the local control circuitry is configured to wirelesslysend instructions to the remote control circuitry to display a nestedgraphical hierarchical structure of operating parameters and statuses ofthe welding power supply via the display.
 8. The welding power supply ofclaim 2, wherein the welding power supply maintains network pairing withthe portable electronic device while in the sleep mode.
 9. The weldingpower supply of claim 2, wherein the portable electronic device isconfigured to wake the portable electronic device from the sleep modeupon detection of activity on the portable electronic device, and towirelessly send the control signal to the local control circuitry towake the welding power supply from a sleep mode upon the detection ofthe activity on the portable electronic device.
 10. The welding powersupply of claim 2, wherein the local control circuitry is configured towirelessly receive the control signal from the portable electronicdevice to change a welding arc control parameter of the welding powersupply, and to change the welding arc control parameter based on thereceived control signal.
 11. The welding power supply of claim 2,wherein the local control circuitry is configured to wirelessly receivethe control signal from the portable electronic device to change acurrent of the welding operation, and to change the current of thewelding operation based at least in part on the received control signal.12. The welding power supply of claim 2, wherein the local controlcircuitry is configured to wirelessly receive the control signal fromthe portable electronic device to change a voltage of the weldingoperation, and to change the voltage of the welding operation based atleast in part on the received control signal.
 13. The welding powersupply of claim 2, wherein the local control circuitry is configured towirelessly receive the control signal from the portable electronicdevice to add advanced welding process functionality to the weldingpower supply, and to add the advanced welding process functionalitybased on the received control signal.
 14. The welding power supply ofclaim 2, wherein the local control circuitry is configured to wirelesslysend data relating to a user-preferred welding process parameter for thewelding power supply to the portable electronic device.
 15. The weldingpower supply of claim 2, wherein the local control circuitry and theportable electronic device are configured to bi-directionallycommunicate information relating to a preset value for a parameter ofthe welding power supply, wherein the bi-directional communicationincludes only digital communication.
 16. The welding power supply ofclaim 2, wherein the local control circuitry is configured to wirelesslyreceive the control signal from the portable electronic device to changea welding process type of the welding power supply, and to change thewelding process type based on the received control signal.